Lost… Beginning My Sobriety Journey

Advice & Questions
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Hello! I am completely new to this app & just started my journey to sobriety. I have been on pain killers & weed since I was about 13 years old… I am now 24.

I have battled with this addiction for a very long time. But I am now ready to change my life. Over these past years I have turned into a person that I didn’t recognize. I spent insane amounts of money on pills. I lied to my family for so long & my partner who I was in a 3+ year relationship with. NO ONE knew what was really going on.

I’ve done things I deeply regret. I wasted so many years of my life as if my life meant nothing. It got really bad this last year when “fake pills” (fentanyl pills) came on the market. I have several close calls taking those pills. I could’ve died so many times… but I didn’t. I’m still here. So I guess that’s for a reason right? But I am ready to put all that behind me and become completely sober. I don’t have anybody in my life to hold me accountable for my actions so maybe this app will really help me out. This will be the first time in my life since I was a child that I will be completely sober. I know this won’t be easy. But I’m ready. Any advice you guys can give me it would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you in advance! - Kayla :heart: Day 1.

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Welcome Kayla.
Today is a great day to begin a new life free from addiction.
This is a great place to get support. Have a good read around and join in when your comfortable.
Here are two good threads to start:

I hope to see you around.
:pray:t2::heart:

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Thank you very much! :heart:

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Warm welcome to the community, Kayla! :hugs::heart: I’m so happy you’re here.

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Keep coming back, Dear :heart::pray:t5::heart: One Day at the time

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@VisionaryKay
Welcome Kayla
Here’s my copy n paste list I send everyone in their 1st few days, take from it anything that helps you.

Welcome Well done for choosing sobriety.
Here’s a list of tips I’ve put together with the help of other friends on this path. Take from it anything that helps. Above all, stay here…we will help you. You’re in our boat now…the same boat we’re all in. Hope this helps:

1 Read Alcohol Explained by William Porter (you can get audio version from audible)
2 Go to as many aa meetings as you can. Listen, share if you feel OK to, engage, get phone numbers
3 Get busy. Housework, exercise, new hobby, gardening, baking, YouTube rapping, movies…anything. Don’t leave yourself any free time.
4 Be honest with yourself. Why are you stopping, how do you feel…
5 Read Alcohol Explained 2
6 stick to your decision to quit and never doubt or question it. You got it right.
7 If you do ever wobble or get tempted, ask yourself one simple question… What will it add? Will it make a good situation better? Will it make a bad situation better. My years of frequent horrid experiences have shown for me, the answer is it adds nothing and makes nothing better.
8 Stay here, keep reaching out, use your peers’ support and experience
9 help others as soon as you feel you can, even in the very early days. I’m only 13 days and honestly it’s helping me to help you. I can reread my advice to you and then reapply it to my own situation
10 Pray. Doesn’t matter if your not religious or don’t know who or what you’re praying to - I don’t, I could be praying to myself. But I’ve found over the past fortnight that getting on my knees, asking (out loud) for strength, asking for a sober day and then giving thanks for that strength and sobriety has felt extremely empowering.
EDIT: 11-14 thank you to Facebook friends:

11 Look for the fun in the journey!
12 Every day pay attention to what is improving. Even the little things, like being able to remember someone’s name after being introduced.
13. Make self care a priority; find the things that you can do to make yourself feel pampered and that will destress you in a healthy way.
14. Learn to identify and change your negative self talk.

Stay strong and stay here, we can and will help.
Pete.

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Thank you sooo much! I will continue to re-read over those steps daily until know them without reading the list. I feel empowered already just being in this group! Very much appreciated.

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Thank you so very much! :heart:

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Thank you so much!

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Welcome Kayla! :wave: You’re in the right place. Many of us have been exactly where you are. Read around the threads here and you’ll find plenty of familiar stories & experiences. :innocent:

Accountability is a big part of staying sober. I don’t think anyone here can really say they did it totally alone. Whether it’s online accountability, in person meetings (or virtual meetings), or even a sobriety podcast or books, we all search for some type of meaningful understanding, guidance, and support.

Good for you for taking that step Kayla - that’s something to feel good about. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

Narcotics - pills, opiates - are a significant addiction today, more and more each year it seems. Fortunately there is a growing understanding of how people recover from narcotics - and there’s lots of insight here on Talking Sober.

Lisa, one of our lovely moderators, has been through hell and back with pills and other substances - she shares her story here:

There’s also lots of threads under the tag “opiates”:

https://talkingsober.com/tag/opiates

and “pills”:

https://talkingsober.com/tag/pills

This thread is a more general one & I find it super useful, because it has lots of podcasts, books, groups, and places for insight and support:

Resources for our recovery

Welcome Kayla - it’s lovely to meet you :innocent: You’re a good person and you deserve a safe, sober life where you can be your full self. Never forget that. Never think you don’t deserve to be alive, in all the ups and downs and mysterious, baffling beauty of life - because you do deserve it, all its richness. You deserve your life, sober, and full. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Welcome Kayla!! Lots of people with sobriety here! You’ve already gotten great advice. :grinning:

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Welcome Kayla! I’m so glad you found us. I can relate to all of your story. I know how hard it is to kick pills so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me personally if you have any questions or need some extra support. I’m looking forward to taking this journey with you. :heart:

I’m so touched by your kind words @Matt. You’re such an awesome asset to this community. Always checking up on those who are struggling or welcoming a newcomer while putting your own needs aside. I’m honored to have you apart of my journey. :heart:

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Welcome Kayla and congrats on taking this big step! You can do it! You are worth it!

Hope to see lots of you here!

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Thank you so much for the help Matt!! It’s really really appreciated. I feel so great to have found you guys. I truly feel like I can do this now. I can become sober. All the kind people on here reaching out to me and offering to help is just amazing. Thank you so very much again. :heart:

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Thank you so much!

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Thank you so very much!! I definitely will take you up on that offer. I would love to hear your story and learn how to deal with my urges for opiates.

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Today is my day 1 and I found this, it’s amazing. I have been here so many times <~~~ I read that all the time lol. I have had this app on and off fir the last couple years. My journey is to stop but I also want to find out the “why” I drink. For all intent and purpose I have the perfect life but I hate myself and am so unhappy with me. 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day is what I’m trying now. Thank you all for the boat I’m getting in to